Traveler or trolley



2 Sheets-Sheet -1.

(No Model.) .8

- L. DAFT.

TRAVELER 0R TROLLEY.

No. 388,538. Patented'Aug. 28, 1888.

II II/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJ TRAVELER 0R TROLLEY.

Patented Augzs, 1888;

1 \V WV 7 0 lump-fur UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEO DAFT, OF PLAINFIELD, NEWV J ERSESC TRAVELER OR TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,538, dated August28, 1888.

Application filed January 1887. Serial No. 223,361. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEO DAFT, .a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,and a resident of Plaintield, Union county, New Jersey, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Travelers or Trolleys, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is a traveler or trolley designed to receive the electricalimpulse from a conductor or conductors, generally an overhead conductor,and to properly transmit said impulse to a motor upon the track.

A trolley embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is an end View, half incross-section,illustrating the improved trolley. Fig. 2 is a plan of thetrolley, part in cross-section. Fig. 3 is a side elcvation,in partscction,of the trolley.

The frame A of the trolley consists, preferably, of two parts flexiblyor jointedly connected-for instance, of two downwardly curved plates, 22-each riveted to an intervening stilt spring-blade, 3, and attached toand supporting at its outer end a block, 4, of insulating material-ms,for instance, a block of hard rubber, vuleanite, or other equivalentmaterial OfCOllllJOSltlOl1-LIld to this block are connected thelaterally-extending rods or bolts constituting the journals 5 5 of thedeeply grooved wheels 6 6, which rest upon the parallel conductors 7.

As the parallel conductors may not always be exactly in line with eachother,lavoid friction and binding upon the wheels by making the journals5 of such length that the wheels can play laterally thereon toaccommodate themselves to theirregularities of the conducting-track, andin order to hang the center of gravity of the trolley or traveler as lowas possible Iextend the central port-ion of the frame Adownward belowthe track, as shown, and hang thereto, preferably to one of the plates 2by means of a pivot,a hollow shield or tube, B, through which extend theflexible conductors 0: ac.

In order to secureastrong attachment of the journals to thenon-conducting blocks 4:, I provide each of the latter with two circularside bosses, -9 9, each threaded externally to receive a threaded cap,10, .through which into a threaded socket in the block extends the screwend of one of the journal-pins, a head at the outer end of said pinlimiting the lateral play of the wheel 6 thereon.

To properly lubricate the wheels, I make each of thejournal-pins hollowor with a central channel, 15, provided with lateral outlets e e,occupying a position within the hub 16 of the wheel, which may have asuitable lining,

. 17,and with aninlet-opening,t,below the dripopening of an oilcup, 18,supported by and above the screw-cap 10,as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3.By this means a constant supply ofoil is caused to flow to the journalof each wheel. The presence of the lubricant upon the journal has beenfound to interfere with the free conduction of electricity from theconductingrails to the wheels, frame, andconductorsxm. I thereforeprovide for a connection between the said conductors and the outersurface of each wheel by means. of contaetpieces hear ing against someportions of the wheels, and electrical connections between saidcontactpieces and the conductors. For instance,each conductor a: isconnected to a binding-post,19, secured to the under side of one of thecaps 10, and each of the latter is provided with cars 20, between whichare pivoted one or more contact-levers,2l, the outer end of each leverhearing against the hub of the adjacent wheel,and a spring, 22, upon ascrew-pin, 23, extending into the cap 10, bears against eachcontactlever, and by turning the said screw-pin any desired tension isput upon the spring. insure a perfect metallic contact with the wheelswhen they are in rapid rotation and a passage for the currentindependent of the axle or journal. It will be evident that thecontact-pieces may bear against the sides or ends of the wheels, andinstead of being pivoted levers or arms they may consist ofspringbladcs.

Ithus I have before referred to the fact that the 5 of the centralflexible connection shown, one

pair of wheels may be mounted upon a truck constituting a part of theframe and pivotally connected to the other part. In each case each pairof wheels is maintained with the axle sub- 5 stantially at rightanglestotheline ofthetrack.

I have referred to the trolley as having two pairs of wheels; but myimprovements may be embodied in a trolley having asingle wheel at eachend, so as to run upon a single conducting-wire, the pendentportion ofthe frame A balancing the wheels, so as to maintain the upright positionof the trolley.

The frame and insulating-blocks maybe differently constructed from theforms shown in 1 the drawings without departing from the main featuresof my invention.

Vithont limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, I claim 1. The eombinatiomwith two substantiallyparallelelectric conductors, of grooved eollecting-wheels adapted to travel incontact with said conductors and carried by a frame provided withlaterally-extending journals,

upon which said wheels are mounted to have a lateral sliding as well asa rotary motion thereon, substantially as described.

2. An overhead trolley consisting of the frame A, composed of two partssupported by grooved wheels, and having plates 2, projecting downwardfrom said parts and toward each other, and a flexible eonnectingplate,3, be tween the plates 2, substantially as described.

3. An overhead trolley having a frame, A, eomposedof two parts supportedby wheels, and having plates 2 projecting downward from said parts andtoward each other, and the flexible spring eonnectingplate 3 between theplates 2, in combination with a hollow shield, LB, pivotally hung fromone of said plates 2, and the conductor passingthrough the shield,substantially as described.

4. A trolley provided with a frame support ing an insnlatingblock ateach end, journalpins extending from each block and support- 4} ingwheels, and conductors supported by the frame in electrical connectionwith the wheels, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the insulated blocks and journals of the frame,of wheels 5c turning on the journals, and pivoted contaetpieces bearingupon the wheels and electrically" connected with conductors supported bythe frame, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the insulated journals, wheels, pivoted contactpieces, and springs and adjusting devices, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihavesigned my name to this specification in thepresence of two sub- 6c scribing witnesses.

LEO DAFT.

\Vi tnesses:

JoI-rN N. BRUNs, FRED H. REED.

